About
Research interests
We study the molecular mechanisms of normal, cancer and stem cells functioning in order to determine new possibilities in cancer therapy and regenerative medicine. Studies are designed to predict the outcome of treatment in in vitro models and in the individual cases (Personalized Cancer Therapy):
- Evaluation of proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis signaling in human cancer and stem cells in in vitro and in vivo models
- Determination of epigenetic regulation in stem cells during self-renewing and differentiation
- Manipulation of signaling molecules in chemotherapeutic drugs-induced pathway for establishment of new strategies for targeted anti-cancer treatment of many tumors
Research resources and services/Offer
Cancer and stem cell culturing (isolation, cultivation, differentiation), Flow cytometry analysis (sample preparation and analysis, cell cycle checkpoints), Protein fractionation one or two dimensional electrophoresis (SDS/PAGE and 2DE, further preparation for mass spectrometry analysis), Real-time PCR analysis, Epigenetic markers (histone modifications, DNA methylation), Chromatin immunoprecipitation (sonication, ChIP and PCR), Microscopy, Cytoxicity evaluation and signaling mechanisms determination in cellular models.
Main Grants
Research projects 2012-2017
Project Supported by University Budget
Studies of regulatory mechanisms of cancer and stem cell for new technologies of personalized medicine. Prof. R. Navakauskienė. 2014-2018.
Projects Supported by Research Council of Lithuania (2012-2017):
National Science program project „Multiplexed molecular biomarker study for leukemia“ (No. LIG-06-2012) Prof. Rūta Navakauskienė. 2012-2014
National Science program project “Bee products enriched with plant components, the composition and properties”(No. SVE-01/2012) Dr. Bogumila Kurtinaitienė. 2012-2015
“Cytological, molecular and epigenetic studies of amniotic fluid” (No. MIP-033/2013) Dr. Gražina Treigytė. 2013-2015
National Science program project “The role of molecular modulators in the hematological system during cell senescence, differentiation and regeneration” (No. SEN-12/2015) Prof. Rūta Navakauskienė. 2015–2018.
“Regulation of amniotic fluid‐derived stem cell functioning by microRNA and epigenetic factors” (No. MIP-57/2015) Dr. Jūratė Savickienė. 2015-2018.
Projects Supported by EU funding:
”Molecular processes in eukaryotic cells: technological and medical aspects”, 2012-2015, funded by the EU support program „Biotechnology and biopharmacy: fundamental and applied research“. Head prof. R. Navakauskienė.
”Molecular mechanisms of the toxicity and antitumor activity of quinones and polyphenols: enzymatic redox reactions, cytotoxicity, signal transduction and proteomics“. 2011-2015, funded via the Global Grant measure, managed using EU funding. Head habil. dr. N. Čėnas.
International Research Projects (2012-2017):
CM1106 Chemical approaches to targeting drug resistance in cancer stem cells (StemChem). Prof. R. Navakauskienė. 2011-2015
BM1402 Development of a European network for preclinical testing of interventions in mouse models of age and age-related diseases (MouseAGE). Prof. R. Navakauskienė. 2014-2018.
CA15138 European Network of Multidisciplinary Research and Translation of Autophagy knowledge (TRANSAUTOPHAGY). Dr. Veronika Borutinskaitė. 2015- 2019.
MAIN R&D&I (RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND INOVATION) PARTNERS
Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Linkoping University (Sweden), Nice University (France), Milan University (Italy), Malta University (Malta), Northwestern University (USA)
Main publications
2019
2018
Borutinskaitė, V., Virkšaitė, A., Gudelytė, G. and Navakauskienė, R., 2018. Green tea polyphenol EGCG causes anti-cancerous epigenetic modulations in acute promyelocytic leukemia cells. Leukemia & lymphoma, 59(2), pp.469–478.
Vitkevičienė, A., Baksienė, S., Borutinskaitė, V. and Navakauskienė, R., 2018. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate and BIX-01294 have different impact on epigenetics and senescence modulation in acute and chronic myeloid leukemia cells. European journal of pharmacology, 838, pp.32-40.
Borutinskaite, V., TREIGYTE, G., ČEKSTERYTE, V., Kurtinaitiene, B. and Navakauskiene, R., 2018. Proteomic identification and enzymatic activity of buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) honey based on different assays. Journal of Food & Nutrition Research, 57(1).
2017
Navakauskienė R. Combination Epigenetic Therapy. Handbook of Epigenetics. The new molecular and medical genetics. 2nd Edition, Edited by T.O.Tollefsbol, 2017, Chapter 41, p. 623-632, Elsevier ISBN: 978-0-12-805388-1.
Audrone V. Kalvelyte, Aušra Imbrasaite, Natalija Krestnikova, Aurimas Stulpinas. Adult Stem Cells and Anticancer Therapy. Advances in Molecular Toxicology, 1st Edition, Volume 11, Chapter Four. Pages 124 – 202. Published date: 2nd October 2017. Edited by J.C. Fishbein and J.M. Heilman, Elsevier ISBN: 9780128125229
Abdelwahid, E., Stulpinas, A. and Kalvelyte, A., 2017. Effective agents targeting the mitochondria and apoptosis to protect the heart. Current pharmaceutical design, 23(8), pp.1153-1166.
Valiulienė, G., Stirblytė, I., Jasnauskaitė, M., Borutinskaitė, V. and Navakauskienė, R., 2017. Anti-leukemic effects of HDACi Belinostat and HMTi 3-Deazaneplanocin A on human acute promyelocytic leukemia cells. European journal of pharmacology, 799, pp.143-153.
2016
Savickienė, J., Baronaitė, S., Zentelytė, A., Treigytė, G. and Navakauskienė, R., 2016. Senescence-associated molecular and epigenetic alterations in mesenchymal stem cell cultures from amniotic fluid of normal and fetus-affected pregnancy. Stem cells international, 2016.
Glemžaitė, M. and Navakauskienė, R., 2016. Osteogenic differentiation of human amniotic fluid mesenchymal stem cells is determined by epigenetic changes. Stem cells international, 2016.
Stulpinas, A., Imbrasaitė, A., Krestnikova, N., Šarlauskas, J., Čėnas, N. and Kalvelytė, A.V., 2015. Study of bioreductive anticancer agent RH-1-induced signals leading the wild-type p53-bearing lung cancer A549 cells to apoptosis. Chemical research in toxicology, 29(1), pp.26-39.
Abdelwahid, E., Kalvelyte, A., Stulpinas, A., de Carvalho, K.A.T., Guarita-Souza, L.C. and Foldes, G., 2016. Stem cell death and survival in heart regeneration and repair. Apoptosis, 21(3), pp.252-268.
Navakauskienė, R., Mori, M., Christodoulou, M.S., Zentelytė, A., Botta, B., Dalla Via, L., Ricci, F., Damia, G., Passarella, D., Zilio, C. and Martinet, N., 2016. Histone demethylating agents as potential S-adenosyl-L-methionine-competitors. MedChemComm, 7(6), pp.1245-1255.
Navakauskiene, R., Baronaite, S., Matuzevicius, D., Zaikova, I., Arlauskiene, A., Navakauskas, D. and Treigyte, G., 2016. Identification and Characterization of Amniotic Fluid Proteins Incident to Normal, Preeclampsia and Polyhydramnios Pregnancies. Current Proteomics, 13(3), pp.206-217.
2015
Borutinskaitė, V. and Navakauskienė, R., 2015. The Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor BML-210 Influences Gene and Protein Expression in Human Promyelocytic Leukemia NB4 Cells via Epigenetic Reprogramming. International journal of molecular sciences, 16(8), pp.18252-18269.
Krestnikova, N., Stulpinas, A., Imbrasaite, A., Sinkeviciute, G. and Kalvelyte, A.V., 2015. JNK implication in adipocyte-like cell death induced by chemotherapeutic drug cisplatin. The Journal of toxicological sciences, 40(1), pp.21-32.
2014
Navakauskienė, R., Borutinskaitė, V.V., Treigytė, G., Savickienė, J., Matuzevičius, D., Navakauskas, D. and Magnusson, K.E., 2014. Epigenetic changes during hematopoietic cell granulocytic differentiation–comparative analysis of primary CD34+ cells, KG1 myeloid cells and mature neutrophils. BMC cell biology, 15(1), p.4.
2013
Kalvelyte, A., Krestnikova, N., Stulpinas, A., Bukelskiene, V., Bironaite, D., Baltriukiene, D. and Imbrasaite, A., 2013. Long‐term muscle‐derived cell culture: multipotency and susceptibility to cell death stimuli. Cell biology international, 37(4), pp.292-304.
Personnel
Head of department
Prof. Rūta Navakauskienė
Chief research fellow
8 522 34409
Research staff
PhD students
Aistė Zentelytė |
Raminta Baušytė | Brigita Vaigauskaitė |
Deimantė Žukauskaitė |
Technical staff
Daiva Andriūnienė technician 852234414 |
Vilija Novikienė technician |